Ukiah Daily Journal

Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - The Daily Journal

SACRAMENTO Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has until Oct. 9 to consider a bill authored by Assemblywoman Patty Berg that would make it easier for cities and counties to maintain needle-exchange programs that help control the spread of AIDS and Hepatitis-C.

The measure, which was approved by the Assembly floor Monday and sent to the governor, would eliminate a section of state law that requires cities and counties to declare a health emergency every two weeks in order to continue operating a needle-exchange program.

The Mendocino County AIDS Volunteer Network currently operates a local exchange program and several county health officers have said they would be more likely to initiate needle-exchange programs if AB 547 became law, according to Berg's office.

MCAVN distributed some 76,000 clean syringes in the county last year on a mostly one-to-one exchange for used needles.

Needle-exchange programs help fight the spread of blood-borne diseases that not only threaten intravenous drug users, but people who are knowingly or unknowingly linked to them.

The governor vetoed a similar bill authored by Berg last year, but the measure that passed the Assembly Monday carries the support of multiple law enforcement agencies. This is the third year Berg has presented legislation regarding needle-exchange programs, but the first time she has garnered support from law enforcement groups.

"We have built a very impressive coalition of support," Berg, D-Eureka said. "So I hope we are sending the governor a bill that he can sign."

Gov. Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on the pending legislation, according to a spokesperson from the governor's office. As of Monday, the governor has until Oct. 9 to sign or veto any legislation received from the Legislature.

The measure is backed by California's public health officers as well as the California Peace Officer's Association and the California Narcotic Officer's Association.

Health officers, who are responsible for protecting Californians from the spread of illness, have long argued that existing law places a wasteful burden on local government by requiring supervisors or council members to declare a health emergency every two weeks in order to continue operating exchange programs, according to Berg.

In California, more than 1,800 people die of AIDS each year and 1,500 new infections occur through syringe sharing among intravenous drug users. Another 5,000 people become infected with Hepatitis-C through needle sharing.

Injection drug users are the second-largest group at risk of HIV infection and are the primary source of heterosexual, female and perinatal transmission, according to Berg's office.

According to MCAVN records, there are some 150 AIDS-positive individuals living in Mendocino County and about 5,000 cases of Hepatitis-C. MCAVN regularly works with about 500 needle users out of an estimated 2,500 syringe users in the county, exchanging anywhere from one to 200 needles at a time.

There are 14 cities and counties that currently operate needle-exchange programs, including Alameda, Humboldt, Marin and Sonoma counties. Health officers from Butte, Inyo, Riverside, Sacramento, Siskyou, Solano and Yolo counties have expressed interest in operating exchange programs if AB 547 becomes law, according to Berg's office.

AB 547 had 32 co-authors and passed on a bipartisan 46-29 vote.